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Lance (VLD)
Lance is a former pilot cadet in the Galaxy Garrison, beginning as a cargo cadet before being promoted to fighter class after Keith was expelled. He functions as a Paladin of Voltron, piloting both the Blue Lion and the Red Lion. Appearance Lance4.png|Casual wear. Lance2.png|Paladin armor. Lance has the appearance of a lean older teenager with light brown skin, short brown hair, thin eyebrows, and blue eyes that are notably drawn with small irises and pupils. Lance's bangs are very short and flare outwardly away from the center of his forehead before they curve inward with longer strands to frame his face at his cheekbones. The rest of his hair barely reaches his neck. He has two strands of hair that sprout from the top of his head. Of the Paladins, Lance has been suggested to be the third-tallest.Lauren responding to Let's Voltron host on Twitter. In his Paladin armor, Lance's uniform mirrors his fellow Paladins but with blue accents to match that of his Lion. When he is not in his Paladin armor, Lance wears a light gray shirt lined with blue underneath a gray-brown jacket. The jacket is accented with black and orange, and has a white hood. He wears blue jeans and white sneakers that are accented with black and lighter blue. Personality Immature, arrogant, confrontational, and seemingly viewing life as a big joyride, Lance is an adventure-seeking pilot who prioritizes looking cool and proving himself better than his perceived rivals, envisioning the glory of defeating Zarkon, though his exploits often end in failure. His humor is rather vulgar, noted by him ripping a fart for the punchline of a joke, and he immediately dons a painfully transparent "smooth and suave" persona whenever in the vicinity of beautiful women to flirt with them. His tendency to get caught up in his ego and personal image has led to lowering his guard and trusting too easily to show off, making Lance an easily manipulated target that nearly cost the team the Blue Lion on one occasion. Lance's jovial nature and inflated ego distances his mind from the bleak situation of the universe and the need to perform his role as a Paladin seriously when not in a harrowing fight. He often picks petty arguments with Keith, who he believes is his rival, or instigates comical situations with other Paladins such as his rendition of laser guns and a "space police" siren. Underneath his cocky demeanor, Lance suffers from homesickness and deeply misses Earth and his large family. He admits to admiring his teammates, even his "rival" Keith. This reveals Lance is not all fun and bad jokes: he has doubts about his role within the team and the world around him, and while good-intentioned, lacks solid motivation as a Paladin fighting a powerful enemy. He thinks of himself as nothing more than a "seventh wheel" of the team; these insecurities are the source of his belligerence towards Keith and his egotistical nature. Because he does not live up to his own personal expectations of being perceived highly by his peers, he puts on a front of bravado. While frequently comic relief, he is perceptive and clear-headed when focused as a Paladin, able to remember key objectives of missions and take in his surroundings to formulate better plans than simply rushing in to attack or risk getting caught. Lance is an outgoing, amiable, and sociable teammate who will readily put himself in harm's way to protect his friends, be it from the mortal danger of a bomb or discipline from a superior officer. He highly values the lives of his team and proves he has potential as a Paladin - something the Blue Lion saw in him and chose him for. Over time, Lance realizes the dire state of the universe around him and matures to respecting his fellow teammates, putting his ideals for glory, his "rivalry", and pride aside for the sake of everyone; this change in character grants him acceptance by the Red Lion as its new pilot. Abilities Equipment Apart from piloting the Blue Lion, Lance utilizes this equipment: Skill Set Combat Lance is skilled at long-range combat, able to accurately hit a target from great distances. This seems to be his preference, as Lance does not display much close-combat prowess until his Bayard transforms into an Altean broadsword through his determination to succeed during training. Lance easily slashes apart the training drones, but is thrown off-balance by Allura, as he is unused to the technicalities of handling a sword. Lance's expertise with long-range is noted to be his weakness in close-range combat. His official stats of strength, agility, and intelligence are all slightly above average, with agility being his highest. When not caught up in his head, Lance proves he has intelligence as a strategist: he is perceptive and resourceful of his surroundings, able to improvise a plan of action and realizing when caution and stealth is needed over offense. He is the first to suggest that a distraction is needed to safely infiltrate Shiro's quarantined crash site. Piloting While he was at the Galaxy Garrison, Lance was trained as a cargo pilot until he was promoted to fighter class after Keith, the top of the class, was expelled. This suggests Lance has notable piloting skill earning him that placement over other cargo pilots, and this holds true as the Paladin of the Blue Lion: Lance naturally eases into piloting the alien spacecraft and his immediate bond with the Lion is so strong that he can hear its thoughts. Upon switching Lions, he is unused to the Red Lion's speed and "lack of breaks", as the Blue Lion is more balanced in its attributes, but Lance soon adjusts to the differences in handling the Lion and his new position as Voltron's right hand. Trivia * Lance's full name is Lance McClain. * Lance was originally only known to be in his late teens.San Diego Comic-Con 2016Comic Synopses Jeremy Shada described Lance as being as young as 16.Let's Voltron Interview with Jeremy Shada at WonderCon 2016 (0:52) His age was published as being 17 in The Paladin's Handbook, which was not reviewed by executive series staff.Den of Geek: Is the Paladin's Handbook Canon? August 2017AfterBuzzTV with Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, August 2017 The Voltron Coalition Handbook states that a year has passed since Shiro's return to Earth, making Lance 18 at the youngest by the time Season Six ends. * While he was at the Galaxy Garrison, Lance was trained as a cargo pilot until he was promoted to fighter class after Keith, the top of the fighter class, was expelled. This suggests Lance had notable piloting skill earning him that placement over other cargo pilot cadets, but skill below that of other fighter pilot cadets. * Lauren Montgomery personally announced the birthday date for Lance. * While Lance mentions Jeremy Shada at New York Comic Con 2016 PanelNew York Comic Con 2016Interview with Jeremy Shada at New York Comic Con 2016 His heritage was also published in The Paladin's Handbook. * Lance's idea of how laser guns sound is "POW, POW, POW!!" * Lance's favorite food is garlic knots. * Joaquim Dos Santos has said his favorite character is Lance.Nerdist with Lauren Montgomery, Joaquim Dos Santos, and Christine Bian March 2016Hypable with Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, August 2017 * Tim Hedrick's favorite Team Voltron member to write for is Lance; he loves how deep Lance's character is about his ego where he secretly doubts himself and thinks "What if I'm not the best Paladin?" * On Coran's height ranking for the Paladins of 1-5 (tallest to shortest), Lauren Montgomery approves that Lance is ranked average at "Number Three". Lauren responding to Let's Voltron host on Twitter. * Lance is based on the character Lance of the previous Voltron franchises, who in turn was based on the character Isamu Kurogane of Beast King GoLion. References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Galaxy Garrison Category:Humans Category:Male Characters Category:Paladins Category:Team Voltron